


I still fell the same way

by HannahBell221



Series: Five years later. [1]
Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Science Fiction, M/M, Mutual Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-25
Updated: 2020-12-25
Packaged: 2021-03-11 00:35:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,150
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28326177
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HannahBell221/pseuds/HannahBell221
Summary: I want to meet you.Why did you leave?Did I do something wrong?No.All I want to say was what I didn’t say that day when I had the chance.
Relationships: My Unit | Byleth/Claude von Riegan
Series: Five years later. [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2074425
Comments: 2
Kudos: 12





	I still fell the same way

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone, it has been a hot minute since I last posted. This lovely fanfic is a secret Santa gift for the Claudeleth server I am in. I attempted my best in making everyone in character but this is the first time I have ever done these characters before. Hope you enjoy!!

“ **_Khalid Lookout!!_ ** “

Claude did not have time to react, considering the next thing he knew, he had died. A curse left his mouth as the option for revival appeared, and with a sigh, he pressed the option. He could already feel the disappointment from Lorenz as he was revived and wholly healed.  _ Yeah, but I lost all my new items.  _ The man just looked at the purple-haired avatar, and he was about to say something when Hilda opened her mouth first. “ Khalid, what was that?! We were so close to beating that thing!! ” Hilda growled, and Claude knew he had messed up big time if even Hilda was frustrated with him. “ Well, I am sorry that I thought I could finish this earlier than what we had planned, “ He said with irritation in his voice. 

Claude could see that Lorenz was close to hitting him, but Lysinthea had gotten ahead of him. “ Come on, Khalid, and we were so close to beating Thales!! We just needed to heal you and Valentine, and we would have gotten the last bit of his health!! Now we have to defeat all his minions and him again. “ The white-haired mage said as she pointed her staff at Hilda and Claude. The group’s tension just kept rising as Lysithea was interrupted by Lorenz, and suddenly Claude just had enough. “ Alright! I get it! I screwed up big time. I am sorry. '' Claude said, as he tried to contain the frustration he felt. “ But you guys know what Teach used to say about defeat. It is just another way to learn about the enemy. '' Claude said as he quoted the words that he had heard so many times before. 

That made his teammates keep quiet. A sense of sadness suddenly replaced the tension as they remembered their teacher. Claude looked briefly at his friend’s list and just shook his head. The man just grinned at his teammates. “ Come on, guys, let’s log off and meet in the cafe. I will pay for everything as an apology for today. ” He said as they all chuckled. Leonie was quick to comment on his offer. “ You better actually bring your wallet then, instead of leaving it at home like you usually do,” She said while sticking her tongue out at Claude. It only earned a laugh from the group, and with their goodbyes, they all logged off.

Claude watched as they all left before going to see his friend’s list; he scrolled down until he found what he was looking for. 

_ Ashen Demon _

_ Last time played: 5 yrs ago. _

Claude just let out a sigh, “ Where are you teach? ”

* * *

**_Six Years Ago_ **

_ “ Have you played Swords and Shields yet? ” _

_ That took Claude’s attention away from his phone to look at Ignatz. “ You mean the new game that Nabatea Studios made? ” Claude said as he turned his attention back to his phone. Hilda looked up from Lorenz’s phone to look at Ignatz. “ I have, but not much yet. It is too much work to craft my armor and weapons; I would rather leave that to someone else,” The pink-haired girl said before turning back her attention to the phone she had taken. Claude couldn’t help but chuckle before putting his phone down and just making himself comfortable on the chair. “ No, I haven’t. You know I have too much on my list~~ ” He said with a grin that just made Hilda roll her eyes. The response only made Raphael and Leonie laugh while Marianne turned her attention to Ignatz. “ I have played it too; I went with the route to be a healer,” The girl said softly, almost shily.  _

_ This response made Ignatz’s eyeshine. “ Oh? That sounds perfect for you, Mari, considering the fact you are studying to be a nurse,” Ignatz said to her, making her slowly become red out of embarrassment. “ I have heard of it, but I haven’t played it. I spend too much time working,” Leonie said as she continues to eat her food, hitting Raphael’s hand in the process since he attempted to take some of it. “ I think my younger sister has been obsessed with it lately, ” Raphael said as he eyed Leonie’s food. Lorenz sent Raphael a look before turning his gaze towards Ignatz, “ Videogames are not something I usually play, but this one interested me enough to buy and play for a little bit,” He said as he leaned toward Hilda to see what she was doing with his phone. “ This is perfect!! Then how about we all try to play as a team? ” Ignatz said with apparent excitement in his voice. This prompted a silence to fall as the group of friends looked at each other, thinking about what Ignatz was asking them. _

_ Claude just chuckled and shrugged. “ Sure. Sounds like fun,” He said, making the others quickly nod. “ F In e, but I would like it if someone helps me make my armor~, “ Hilda said as she continued to play with Lorenz’s phone. Hilda’s comment only prompted more laughter from them as they all agreed on the date and time to play Swords and Shields. _

* * *

_ “ Seriously? Did you seriously name your avatar Khalid? ” Lorenz said as he looked at the name shown above Claude’s avatar. Claude couldn’t help but shrug at Lorenz’s comment, he liked the name of his avatar, and he was happy to see that this game gave you the option of being an archer. Claude looked around at his friends started to log in one by one in the novice armor one gets at the beginning of the game. He saw Hilda pout at her outfit.  _

_ “ This armor is so not cute. ” Hilda said as she gave a twirl to show off her outfit to the rest. Marianne couldn’t help the sigh that left her mouth, but she still smiled at Hilda, “ It is because we are still in level 1. Once we level up, we should be able to get something cuter. ” She said softly as she looked at Hilda twirl. The pink-haired girl just hummed before hugging Marianne’s arm. “ Sounds like a plan~,” She said. Claude could already tell that she would attempt to find a way to have them do all the work yet again.  _

_ Leonie rolled her eyes, and she just directed her attention to the scenery, “ Well, Valentine, hope you know that to get the ‘cute’ armor you desperately want, you need to level up. So we can’t do the work for you. ” Leonie said as she stared at the scenery. She ignored the sound that Hilda made as she continued to admire the graphics of the game. “ They put a lot of effort into the graphics. It looks amazing.” _

_ Claude stopped the inspection of his armor from taking a good look at what Leonie was saying. Once you create your avatar, the player spawns at the first town entrance, allowing the player to enter the city and buy their first weapon or explore the outside at their own risk. Claude turned around, and the first thing he saw was a forest. The trees looked just like those in the real world, and he could see bugs flying around, making the forest their home. He could even see level 1 enemies in the distance; he imagined they would have to fight to gain experience and money. His eyes took everything; the enemies, the bugs, the greenery, the mountains that one could see in the distance, the sounds of the lake nearby and of the birds in the sky.  _

_ “ This is going to be fun. “ Claude said as he looked at his friends.  _

* * *

The Garreg Cafe was a popular spot for teenagers and young adults. With its delicious cafe, fast internet, and being a safe space for many of its customers, it attracted many customers daily. Claude had just finished his classes for the day when he found himself inside the cafe, dumping his bag on the table as he sighed. He was  _ tired and cold;  _ the professor had given him much grief for not paying attention to class. Claude knew that was the farthest thing from the truth, but his attempt to tell the professor otherwise fell on deaf ears. After he managed to escape the professor’s nagging, Claude found out that it was snowing, and while Claude liked the snow, he still did not enjoy the idea of going anywhere while it was snowing. Claude took out his phone to go directly to his friend’s group chat to read what the others had said while he had been stuck in class. 

As he scrolled up, he could see that Raphael and Hilda had a meme battle, with Lorenz telling them to stop since he was stuck in class and his phone was constantly vibrating thanks to them. However, his words were only ignored, and if he was honest, he couldn’t even be surprised considering how much they tended to ignore Lorenz and do whatever they want. Scrolling through his phone for a little bit allowed him to kill time and wait for his friends to show up. Getting bored of Instagram, Claude soon found himself in  _ Swords and Shields’ forums _ , trying to see if anything was impressive over the upcoming winter break. 

_ Perhaps once we kill Thales, we can attempt the winter quest. And if we have time, we can even try to get to the last level. It is about time we get out of this zone unto the other one.  _

His mind was so focused on the thoughts of adventure in _Swords and Shields_ that Claude almost glanced over a forum that made him catch his breath with his mind on the winter quest and the final battle. _The Ashen Demon is back?!._ The mere thought of him coming back made Claude’s heart skip a beat. It had been, after all, five years since he last saw the man after disappearing without a word.

* * *

_ “ Why is this thing not dead yet?! ”  _

_ The frustration in Claude’s voice was unmistakable, considering they had been attempting to kill ‘The Death Knight’ for the last twenty minutes. They had been hanging on by a thread, and it was becoming evident that Marianne and Lysinthea’s characters were running low on mana. Hilda’s strength was also running low, and it wouldn’t be long before she could not use her battle ax anymore. Raphael had been knocked out last round, and Leonie was the next one to follow. Then while Lorenz still had mana left, it wouldn’t last much if he was the last one standing of their mages. Lorenz could help with a sword if he runs out of mana, but considering he has not gotten to a high level with the sword, it would only end in disaster. He didn’t know where Ignatz had gone to, possibly to find a weak spot for ‘The Death Knight,’ but Claude couldn’t be sure. _

_ Claude was about to give the order to retreat when he saw a figure appear from the entrance. It seems like he didn’t know there was a team already trying to defeat ‘The Death Knight’; however, this was not going to stop the man. Claude saw a large sword appear in the man’s hand, and the brown-haired man could only watch in awe as the newcomer came at the enemy with all his strength. ‘The Death Knight’ blocked his attack, but that didn’t discourage him as he attempted to hit him once more. At the moment that it took for the man to repeat his attack, Claude was able to see the name of the avatar. _

**_Ashen Demon_ **

_ Claude had heard about the player named Ashen Demon as he spent more and more time advancing in the game. Ashen Demon had been one of the one hundred beta testers of the game, and when Swords and Shields was released, he quickly became one of the top players in the game. Many thought it was because he had the advantage of being a beta tester, but those that have seen him in action knew that was not his only advantage. Claude could now understand why they said that; the man had exceptional skills to stand his ground and even get some hits on the enemy.  _

_ As Ashen Demon attacked the Death Knight, Claude saw his opportunity. He waited for the perfect opportunity; for the moment when the Ashen demon gave it a critical hit, he just had to wait patiently to strike. His hunch was right; Ashen Demon was just waiting for the perfect moment to do a critical hit, and Claude saw as the sword became like a whip. After that, it was hard to know where the sword-whip landed, but Claude could see that ‘The Death Knight’s health was almost zero. In an attempt to survive, the Death Knight launched an attack towards Ashen Demon when Claude let his arrow fly. _

_ A second passed, but the Death Knight let out a pained scream before disintegrating. _

_ The words “You won.” appeared in front of Claude, and he just hit the “ok” button before turning his attention towards Ashen Demon. The man was just looking at the items he had received after defeating the Death Knight, and Claude used this opportunity to approach him. His footsteps alerted Ashen Demon that he was coming, and it made the man stop looking at his inventory to look at Claude. Claude couldn’t believe the luck he had, talking to one of the game’s top players. Claude was about to open his mouth when Ashen demon beat him to it. _

_ “ It seems like you guys don’t have a lot of strategies nor know how to work together. ” _

_ Claude’s words were stuck in his throat. He couldn’t believe that was the first thing the man said to him. “ Excuse me? ” Was what Claude managed to say after being able to break free from his daze. The man just raised his eyebrow before repeating himself, “ You and your group seem to be poorly coordinated. It also seems like you guys don’t plan your attacks together. It seemed like you were all playing individually despite being a team,” The man said cooly. “ If you guys want to keep advancing in the game, you will need to learn how to do both. Otherwise, what happens today will be repeated several times. ”  _

_ In all honesty, part of Claude understood what he was saying; however, it didn’t change the fact that he felt somewhat offended by it. He knew that they weren’t precisely organized or didn’t really do a lot of strategizing, but still, they were doing their best. However, it didn’t change that Ashen Demon was right; they were still far from being at his level. At that moment, Claude had an idea, an idea that he will have to talk with his friends later after they log off but now was his only chance. _

_ “ There is no denying we could be better, so how about you help us? ” Claude said with a grin. His smile shrank when he saw no reaction from Ashen Demon, but he didn’t let the lack of response deter him. “ See, we actually would like to get better at this game, good enough to be on par with the other top teams and be able to defeat the last boss. ” Claude continued as he tried to convince the man in front of him to consider his proposal. “ You are one of the top players in the game, and I can see now for good reasons too. So how about you give us some pointers on how to be better? ” Claude finished, and he continued to hope that it had been enough to convince him. _

_ Ashen demon was silent for a moment before speaking, “ I accept. ” _

_ Claude was about to respond, but he was cut off by the man, “ You have your reasons for wanting to recruit me, and I have mine. I will help you so long as you help me too. “ He said as he looked directly at Claude. The brown-haired man just laughed and extended his hand. “ I will be in your care,  _ Teach.  _ ” _

* * *

Claude barely registered the fact that he was out of the door as he put on his jacket and hastily carried his bag; he barely even registered the run back to his apartment. Claude could only think about the possibility of seeing him, of being able to ask him the same questions that have plagued him in the last five years.

_ Where have you been? _ _   
_ _   
_ _ Have you been happy? _

_ No. _

_No, I just wanted to_ _know--_

Claude didn’t finish that thought, considering a red light soon stopped him. His impatience was showing, and he barely registered the vibrations coming from his pocket. It was very likely that Hilda, Lorenz, or even Raphael had arrived at the cafe already, and we’re looking for him. Claude just managed to type a simple message of ‘Something came up’ considering the light soon turned green, and Claude was once again running. As his apartment drew closer, Claude ran faster. He knew the chances of this not being real, of  _ him _ not being back, but he had to make sure for himself. He ran up the stairs to the third floor and, in a hurry, took out his apartment keys, fumbling with them as he tried to find the correct one. At that moment, his roommate, Dimitri, open the door, clearly looking like they were going out. “ Claude? I thought you were going out; why are you,” Dimitri said as Claude took off his jacket and shoes, hastily dropping his bag on the floor as he ran to his room.

“ Can’t talk. I am in a hurry,” Claude said before closing his room’s door. He turned his console on, and as his console started back up, he looked for his headset. Claude cursed himself for not cleaning up his room like Hilda had told him several times to do as Claude looked around. He had to look under his bed to find the damn thing finally. Claude’s console was loaded and ready, Claude laid in bed after putting on his headset, and with a sigh, he allowed himself to go back to the world of Swords and Shields.

* * *

_ “ Khalid, cover me. ” _

_ It was all that Claude needed to hear from Ashen Demon. Claude drew his arrow and aimed at ‘The immovable.’ Part of Claude wanted to make a sarcastic comment about the lack of creativity when it came to the bosses’ name, but the other part of him concentrated on getting the beast’s attention away from his partner. Claude’s idea to get Ashen Demon had been an excellent one, considering that their team has been growing in popularity in the few months they worked together. Albeit, most of that popularity came with the fact that the famed Ashen Demon had joined a team and stopped working solo.  _

_ Pride settled in his chest, a feeling he was becoming more familiar with the longer he spent with the mysterious man. _

_ It was no secret that Claude and his friends had not proved the green-haired man wrong initially. As he had said, they were a team that fought individually instead of together. But just like he had agreed to, Ashen Demon was quick to train that away from them, taking them to several small battles to practice working together and strategizing instead of running toward the enemy with little to no plan. Claude had found a fondness for the ax, but he still preferred to fight with his bow and arrow. Ashen Demon was also quick in making Hilda participate instead of hiding in the background. The more they practiced, the sooner it became second-nature to them. _

_ His arrow hit the mark every time as he continued to get the beast’s attention away from Ashen Demon, and now he could see that Raphael was also following after the green-haired man. Ignatz joined him in distracting the creature from the two fighters as they grew closer, Raphael used his sword to take most of his remaining health, but Ashen Demon gave the killing blow. The creature let out a howl before it started to shine and then disintegrate. The words “ You won ” appeared, and once they cleared, they also got the notification that they leveled up. A cheer from Lysinthea was what caused the others to join in her celebration. Claude also felt proud of his accomplishments, and he turned his gaze towards Ashen Demon.  _

_ Claude could feel his heart skip a beat as he saw the man with a small smile on his face. However, as soon as the man saw that Claude was looking at him, his smile turned into a barely concealed embarrassment. His embarrassed face only made Claude smile, considering that he could remember when Ashen Demon barely showed any emotions towards them, leaving him frustrated. _

_ After that day, it took months for Claude to understand why he had been frustrated at that moment. _

_ “ You all are improving faster than I thought,” Ashen Demon said as he looked at all of them. Claude thought he could see the pride in his eyes, making Claude’s own emotions be all over the place. The brown-haired man could feel the grin that Hilda was giving him, and he did his best to ignore it and concentrated on what their new teacher was saying. But it was difficult; Claude knew that the man was pointing out the areas that they all needed to improve in and the areas they have gotten better. Claude’s attention had been anywhere but in what he was saying, but his focus went intensely on his lips.  _

Would kissing him in the game be as sweet as he thought it would be in real life?

_ He was lost in his thoughts that he didn’t hear Ashen Demon call for him until the man was up in his face, “ Khalid? ” The man said, making Claude jump back a little as his face turned red in embarrassment. He could hear the others from his group chuckle as it was an open secret the admiration Claude felt toward the other player. Ashen Demon was frowning at him, considering he hated being ignored, and Claude knew this, which is why Claude awkwardly chucked at him. “ Sorry,  _ teach _ , I was thinking of something else~~,” He said as he ignored his heartbeat.  _

_ The man just sighed and continued talking as he looked at Claude, “ Your aim and strategies were beneficial today; you even managed to do some teamwork with Lorenz,” He said with a slight tease in his voice. The praise did nothing to calm the fast beating of his heart, nor made it possible for Claude to settle his blush.  _

_ He felt like he was back in middle school, barely able to keep his crush to himself. But this affection, he wanted to guard it just a little longer than anything else. It didn’t take long for Ashen Demon to finish his small speech, making Hilda look at the clock, and Claude could see the grin on her face. “ It has gotten late; I will have to log off for the night. But we should celebrate our victory another night,” She said as she looked at the others, who were quick to understand her meaning. One by one, they said their goodbyes before logging off for the day. _

_ Quite frankly, Claude ignored the looks his friends had given him at that moment. _

_ He didn’t know if he should consider himself lucky or not that his friends have realized that he wanted to spend time with Ashen Demon outside of battle. Claude turned his gaze towards him as the man was distracted with something in their inventory. _

_ “ So  _ teach _ , how about we celebrate our victory? Just the two of us,” Claude said, gathering his bravery at that moment. He knew that there was a chance he could be rejected, but Claude had to make sure that he had at least thrown his shot. A minute, then two, then three passed, and no response. Claude could feel his blood freeze; he had made a mistake. A costly one. _

_ He is going to leave their group; he is not going to talk to him again, he just had to be a lovesick  _ fool-

_ “ Alright. ” Ashen Demon said softly, making it hard for Claude to hear at first. Claude let out a breath he did not know he was holding, and he looked in his friend’s direction. His heart skipped a beat, and his face turned red at the sight of Ashen Demon turning red.  _

_ “ I have. . . .been wanting to ask you to accompany me somewhere for some time. However, the time never seemed right. ” The green-haired man said as he looked anywhere but Claude’s face. Claude could help the sudden happiness that came over him as he laughed at the situation, “ It seemed both of us were trying and still didn’t get the memo. ” Claude said as the man in front of him made a face that he could only describe as a  _ pout. 

God. I like him.

_ Ashen Demon cleared his throat and extended his hand towards Claude, “ Then shall we? ” He said with a small smile. Claude was quick to grab his hand, and with a smile, he nodded, “ We shall. . . ” _

* * *

Claude had spawned in the same place that he had logged off earlier that day, and while it would have been easier for him to see confirm the rumors by using his friend’s list, the man just went to his map and traveled to the place that he had visited continuously over the past five years. Claude was only able to teleport to the game’s monastery entrance, and then Claude was running inside. It was dark in-game, considering it was night, but Claude had walked the same paths religiously for years, hoping for the day that he would see  _ him _ . His feet took him to the back of the monastery, where the garden was located. As he ran, Claude thought of all the things he would tell him.

I am close to graduating.

I want to meet you.

Why did you leave?

Did I do something wrong?

No.

All I want to say was what I didn’t say that day  _ when I had the chance. _

Nearing the gazebo, Claude held to the hope that it was true, that he was finally back. It wasn’t until he was close enough to see a figure sitting down in the same spot he used to sit on. Claude stops on his track, and the brown-haired man just stared in awe as the player turned his gaze towards him. Relief, hope, and happiness flooded Claude as he gave them a shaky smile.

“  _ Byleth _ . “ He whispered, loud enough for Byleth to hear. Byleth just stared at Claude for a second, but soon both of them were moving once again. Byleth sat up and ran towards him just like Claude did, and with his arm open wide, Claude tackled Byleth in the tightest hug possible. “ You are back. You are actually back. Byleth. I missed you so much- ” Claude said as he hugged the shorter man tightly. 

“ I am sorry, I didn’t mean to leave for this long. I didn’t mean to leave you. ” Byleth said as he returned the hug. He separated himself from Claude, just enough to look at him in the eyes, “ It is a long story, but please believe me when I said that I was going to come back- I would have never- ” Byleth tried to explain, but Claude was tired of explanations. 

Silence fell between the two of them finally shared the kiss; the one they didn’t share all those years ago. 

The two men allowed the kiss to speak for itself. I missed you; I wanted to see you, I am sorry I made you wait. . . . .

“ I love you. “ Byleth whispered after they finally separated. Claude couldn’t help but kiss him once more, but this time the kiss was shorter, “ I think my feelings have been quite clear for the last five years. ” Claude said with a chuckle, which earned him a smile from the man. Claude wanted to bask in the feeling of finally having byleth in his arms, but he had so many questions; he needed answers.

“ Byleth. . .Why? ” Claude asked softly, making the atmosphere turn sad as Byleth sighed. “ This. . .It is not a conversation I want to have here. Remember all the conversations we had about meeting? ” Byleth said softly as he looked at Claude with hope in his eyes. Claude’s eyes widen in shock as he realized what Byleth was saying. “ When can we meet? ” Claude said hurriedly. Byleth just smiled at him as he whispered something in his ear, making Claude even giddier.

_ God, today is my lucky day. _

* * *

The nervousness was getting to him; he looked around, waiting for him to show up. Claude didn’t want to acknowledge that there was a part of him that was scared that he would disappear once again. He was not sure if he would be able to handle it a second time. Claude attempted to distract himself by the cheese squares that he had ordered while waiting for Byleth. It wasn’t until a few bites in that he realized that it could give him bad breath, and he was not about to ruin his first date with the man of his dreams. Claude drank some of the juice he had ordered and looked for a mint in his bag. Part of him could only imagine to teasing he would suffer if Hilda were here to see him.

Claude was going to grab his phone to send Hilda a message when he felt a hand on his shoulder, making him turn around. Claude’s heart was caught in his throat as he turned around to see the man he had fallen for. 

“ Hello. . .My name is Byleth,” The blue-haired man said with a small smile as he extended his hand. Claude quickly got up from his chair and grabbed his hand, “ Byleth. . .It is nice to meet you finally; I am Claude,” He said. 

The two men stood there for a minute before Claude finally cleared his throat and pointed at the table he got for them. “ Well, shall we? ” Claude said, repeating the same words Byleth had asked him all those years ago. The blue-haired man seemed to remember considering that he quietly chuckled before he sat down across Claude, “ We shall. ” He said with a small smile before grabbing Claude’s hand. “ So. . . Tell me everything I have missed. ” Byleth said as he stared at Claude. With a grin, Claude gave byleth’s hand a light squeeze before he started talking.

* * *

  
  


_ I really wanted was to see you by my side  _

_ I still feel that way even after five years  _

_ you know I always will _

_ I love you, Byleth. _


End file.
